Let’s be real: stress isn’t optional anymore. Our pace is faster. Expectations are higher. And calm? That’s a luxury, not a guarantee.
But here’s the good news: thriving in a high-pressure environment isn’t about eliminating stress. It’s about learning how to thrive in it.
Let’s break down three key ways to thrive when everything feels like it’s on fire.
Don’t Panicked and Don’t Spiral
Stress doesn’t just exhaust us it likes to follow us around like a pet.
When we don’t take care of ourselves we can run in a constant fight or flight response. Running in this state for long periods of time will cause us to be on edge, not sleep well, and end up getting sick.
I have had many times where I ran in this state for far too long and each time I have had consequences like enjoying the fun of shingles under the age of 50. That’s right shingles doesn’t care what age we are. I was focused on a deadline and trying to win a large 100 million dollar project. I was up at night during spring break working on presentations, pushing teams for information, and preparing for leadership meetings.
I won the project and got the pat on the back and then a week later had the experience of a lifetime with all the fun that shingles can be.
I was worried about what could happen instead of being present with my family and enjoying quality time. I was worn out and couldn’t focus.
Then the sharp pains and blisters from shingles set in. I had to learn how to relax and learn how to focus on the controllables instead of what ifs. I started box breathing during the painful times to lower my heart rate and help me focus. I had to pause and breathe when stress was high. This kept me from spiraling while staying focused on tasks at hand.
Control Our Controllables
We can’t control our customer’s attitudes when our plants missed their shipments. We can’t control a quality spill, and we can’t control what our elected government officials decide is a fair tariff impact.
What we can control is our attitude and how we show up. How we attack each task with focus and sometimes it is even just focusing on one foot in front of the other. Nothing more sometimes. But we have to take control of what we can control and not worry about other things. Maybe it’s just finding the three things we can do today that will make us feel successful for that day.
I start each day doing some reading, affirmations, and figuring out three things that if I get done today, will help me feel like I had a success. Some days its writing blog posts, doing video edits, making cold calls, or practicing a story for my keynote.
Other days it is taking a nap during a busy day, stretching instead of workouts, and taking a walk to clear my head.
What we can control is us and not others or outcomes.
Stress isn’t all bad. There are actually good stresses and yes there are bad stresses. We won’t get into each of these, but stress does make us sharper. When under stress we can focus on the task at hand and we can narrow in on the details that will make the project move forward instead of the stress.
When castings are made they is heat, pressure, and time. To make castings all three have to work together and when they do a new product is formed. A trough product that can be used to move a large truck forward down the road. Sometimes we need this stress to make us stronger.
Using stress to help us focus and learn to not tailspin when we are stressed will help us to succeed with higher levels of success.
This won’t happen overnight, but in time we can learn to harness stress to help us to do better and thrive in stressful environments.
Master the Art of Influence: Build Trust, Drive Sales, and Lead Effectively
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